The Mountain Inn
by Vanishing Roses
Summary: Ren heads towards a secluded inn for some spiritual recuperation, and Horohoro unexpectedly and literally drops in. Slash. Was a One-shot, but extended after some coercion.
1. Chapter 1

There were snow-covered trees in all directions that Ren could see from within the confines of the car. He slumped slightly against the glass of the window. Shutting his eyes, he enjoyed the feel of the cold glass pressed against his forehead, his skin still carrying the last remnants of heat from the city from which he was escaping. Lightly tilting his head to the other side, he was able to press his cheek against the window. The combination of the chill air outside and the warm air emanating from the car's heater was enough to lull Ren into a light sleep. A light blanket of snow beginning to fall outside.

He had not been himself lately at all. He could not seem to concentrate on anything. Though perhaps that was not an accurate description. To say that Ren could not concentrate would be to suggest that he lacked focus, and that was anything but true. It would be far more accurate to say that Ren was failing to get anywhere with his training simply because he was training too hard. He had become so narrowly focused, so heatedly determined, that he was making no progress at all. In fact, he was becoming sloppier and weaker in his frustrations. Though still young, Ren was wise enough to know that if he continued down the path he was heading, all that would meet him would be needless obstacles, barriers that would keep him from reaching his true potential. It was then that Ren remembered a small mountain inn he had heard about a few times as a child. He heard it told that warriors who rested at the inn would be able to clear their minds of all that troubled them and as a result would be able to surpass all bumps and cracks in the road that lay before them.

Ren was not really one for superstitions and stories, but he figured that some time away from it all would not be a bad idea. After all, he knew strength was not always a physical game. That was how Ren justified his retreat into the mountains. It was not a vacation, it was a mental training exercise. He would study strategy and study himself. He had a lot to think about and just needed some time.

Of course, curled up in the warm car as he was, strategy and fighting were far from Ren's mind. Ren was somewhere strange, but familiar at the same time. He was a small child once more and he was kicking a ball into the air, trying to see just how high he could kick it. There were people he knew sitting nearby, playing Mahjong and telling boasts, trying to distract from the fact they were all cheating. There were other people he knew, his sister among them, who were sitting around, speaking in happy tones while eating snacks, occasionally calling out to Ren, asking how high he was able to kick that last time. He was dreaming of a childhood memory that he was aware had never happened. But he did not care. A comforting work of fiction made for a more welcomed dream than the life he actually lived.

Soon, the voices that were calling out to him seemed to change. The clear voice of his sister was warping into a voice that was deeper and almost muffled. Banging began to echo around him. He let the ball fall onto the ground and looked in every direction, trying to find the cause of the banging.

With a start, Ren was jolted awake, his subconscious finally able to realize that the banging was not part of the dream. Sitting up slowly, rubbing at the red mark left on his cheek by the window, he looked around, half asleep, before his eyes caught a sight out of the window. A sight of something blue. His expression was one of surprise. For about a second. Then it became an expression of frustration.

On the other side of his window of the moving car was none other than the most unwelcome of nuisances in his life, Horohoro. From the way he was peeking into the car upside down, banging on the window and crying "Oye, stop the car! Ren! Ren! Stop the car! Ren!" Ren deduced that Horo was probably clinging to the roof of the car like a cat trying not to drown. Ren did not quite know how Horo managed to no-doubt crash land on top of a moving car and in that moment, a part of Ren considered having the driver speed up and send Horohoro tumbling down the snowy mountain trail.

Perhaps because the calming effect of his dream was still hanging over him and relaxing him, but Ren did not order Horo to be punished. Instead he reluctantly had his driver stop the car. As soon as the vehicle came to a complete stop, Horo jumped off of the roof and climbed in beside Ren. The spirit Kororo preferred to stay outside on the roof of the car, seeming to enjoy the cold but more than likely not wanting to be too close to the perpetually foul tempered Ren. "It's about time you stopped the car! I thought I was going to fly off! Just my luck of all the cars I'd land on it would be yours," He said with a huff as the car began to move.

"Funny, I don't remember inviting you in," Ren said without hesitation as he went back to looking out the window.

Horo was about to toss back a snide remark when he slowly began to grin impishly. "Oh, I get it. You just didn't want anyone to see you with…that sort of expression on your face. I get it, I get it."

Those words made Ren's blood run cold. Just what on earth was Horo talking about. What sort of expression…? There was no way that Horo had seen Ren with some sort of obscene expression on his face. It wasn't even that sort of dream! Turning his head to look at Horo, Ren looked like he was somewhere between wanting to kill Horo and dump his body somewhere in the woods and playing nice by only maiming him. Luckily for Horo, when Ren caught a look at the strange face Horo was making at him, his nose pushed up , cheeks puffed out and eyes crossed, Ren was so taken by surprise that he trembled to keep from laughing, having to look away again.

Horo chuckled as he leaned back against the seat, stretching for a moment before settling in a comfortable stop, reaching up to dust off some of the snow that remained in his hair. "You don't have to look so mad when I bring up that particular expression. You actually look a little cute, sleeping so peacefully. You should show that side of yourself a little more. I mean, we're something like friends at this point right? Eh, eh?" he asked with a large smile, elbowing at Ren.

Setting his frown deeper, Ren was really trying hard to not loose his composure now. "…Shut up. Bringing something like that up. I don't want you telling anyone," he said with a huff. "Once we get to the inn, just go on with whatever it was you were trying to do anyway. I'll only take you all the way until the inn," He said, nudging Horo back.

Horo whined at that. "What? You're going to stay at that nice inn? All by yourself? Inns are real boring if you aren't there with someone, believe me! Come on, Ren, don't be such a cheapskate, let me stay with you," he said, pushing at Ren with a bit more force.

Ren could feel the edge of his eye twitching, but he tried to not let Horo get to him. "I said until the inn and not a second more. Don't be a leech," he snapped back, pushing Horo back roughly against the other door, having grown uncomfortably aware of the close proximity between them.

Laughing now, pressed against the other door, Horo gave Ren a smirk. "Oh, and I bet the others would just love to hear what I have to say when I tell them about what a cute sleeper you are. Smiling in your sleep, curled up like a cat. If I were in the car, I bet I could have heard you purring!" he replied, using his footto push against Ren's side.

"What?" Ren cried out, no longer able to keep his composure. "Do you have any idea who the hell you're talking to? About? Who do you think you are, comparing me to a cat!" Ren cried out, lunging at Horo now. Squirming away at the last minute, Horo just baring missed being tackled by Ren, having scampered away. The inside of the car was hotter now from all the activity and with Ren trying to get a good hold of Horo in order to beat him senseless, the once spacious car seemed strangely cramped.

For what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality only a couple of minutes, the game of cat and mouse continued. Horo would toss some insult at Ren and Ren would try to get a hold of Horo, missing him just barely for the most part. After a while, it was hard to tell who was supposed to be the cat and who was the mouse. Horo's constant laughing eventually proved infectious as even Ren seemed to be enjoying himself, rough housing with a friend. It had been a while since he was able to just play without having to worry about dire consequences. It was as if he were still dreaming, all of the weight that normally rested permanently on his slender shoulders having melted away. In another time and in another place, Ren might have enjoyed the innocence that comes from normalcy. If Ren had been unconnected to spirits maybe he could have experienced the serenity from his dream while awake.

Taking advantage of Ren's weak defenses in that moment of regret, Horo decided to finally assert his role as the cat in their little game. Grabbing a hold of Ren's wrists, he pushed forward against the surprised "mouse", pinning him against the soft car seat before Ren could figure out what just happened. Struggling against Horo, Ren arched his back, trying to squirm out of Horo's grasp. Ren would have never thought of Horo as the smartest of his acquaintances, but he was strong enough to compensate for it. "Let…let me go already, jerk!" Ren spat out as Horo straddled him.

Snickering, Horo shook his head. "Sorry, but no way. You should have seen your face. You were looking like you were starting to relax and have some fun when that sour expression you normally wear came back. I can't have that, now can I? Come on, give me a smile!" Hooking his forefingers in the corners of Ren's mouth, Horo contorted Ren's expression into a mock smile. "There! Now you're smiling! A…little on the scary side, granted. It's more…smile-like, really."

Ren squirmed against Horo, trying to buck him off, but after a few moments, he figured he'd at least get even. Hands shooting out, he grasped onto Horo's face, using his own fingers and thumbs to move Horo's lips open, making it look like Horo was barring his teeth. "Perfect. This is how a mutt like you should look," he said around Horo's fingers, actually beginning to laugh when Horo began to growl.

"Hey! That's no fair!" Horo cried out, his words badly garbled with his lips forced apart like that. "I'll beat you at this game, too," he declared as he squished and squashed Ren's face into increasingly absurd expressions, Ren returning the favor in his own style. In that moment, Ren and Horo had both let their guards down and were enjoying the moment of laughter and play while they had it. No spirits, no battles, no consequences. It was just two friends. Fight and play were melting together into an experiences where both friends were emotionally exposed. It was a little like how it was to fight a high stakes battle, tossing everything they had at each other, with the assumption that there would be no tomorrow and no reason to hold anything back. Their game wasn't deadly, unlike the normal battles they fought, but they both seemed to be aware of its transient nature. Soon, that carefree moment would pass and the reality of their lives would settle in and they would no longer be able to be how they currently were.

They had both come to that very realization independently, and soon, their game quieted.

Horo had been the first to stop his rough treatment of Ren's face. Loosening his grip of his cheek, he slowly moved his fingers along to the chin as he ran his thumb across Ren's lips. With his emotions so strangely raw, so exposed, Horo's suddenly soft touches were almost torturously gentle, but soon became only a deep tug in his heart. Ren's laughter died down as he laid there panting from the effort he had exerted just moments ago. Almost as if still in a dream, Ren's current experience had shifted from carefree to sober seamlessly. Ren was having a hard time accepting that what was happening was actually happening. Moving his fingers out of Horo's mouth, he moved them down slowly to Horo's jaw, touching his lips as he did so, able to feel Horo's softly panting breath rolling off of his wet finger tips.

For how long the two stayed like that, touching each other's faces and catching their breaths, neither of them was sure. To Ren, it felt like time had slowed down and he was becoming more aware of just how hot it had gotten inside of the car. It felt like he was experiencing the most intense head rush of his life, the world still spinning. It was no wonder that when he finally felt Horo's lips pressing against his, he couldn't seem to muster the strength nor the will to push him away. In a sense, it felt like he had been expecting the kiss as if it were the most natural progression to the events that had just transpired.

The kiss started out softly. Horo had cupped Ren's cheeks as he pressed their lips together in a caste kiss that lasted for only a few moments. He pulled away a centimeter or two he gave Ren a chance to reject him, to pull away, to slap him, but nothing came. He kissed Ren again, this time planting soft kisses against Ren's partially parted lips. As he felt Horo's eyelashes brushing shyly against his warmed cheek, Ren seemed to gain insight as to what was happening. Horo had gotten swept up in the moment and was now hunched over Ren, pressing inexperienced kisses against Ren's lips. Ren didn't seem at all surprised by what was happening, clear indication that he too had been swept along.

Whatever was happening between them, Ren didn't want to break the spell with words. Running his hands up the side of Horo's head, Ren raked his fingers through Horo's hair, the unexpected touch startling Horo until he felt Ren's fingers tangling his his hair. Spurred on by what he felt to be Ren's approval, Horo leaned close to claim Ren's lips once more only to have Ren raise his head up to meet his instead. Unlike Horo's cautious, nervous pecks, Ren's personality came through loud and clear in his possessive kiss, practically biting on Horo's bottom lip, eliciting a gasp from him. Taking advantage of Horo's parted lips, Ren deepened the kiss as he pushed up against him.

In that desperately raw moment, Ren wasn't Ren. He didn't know who he was, but he didn't care. All of the pressure that had been building up in his heart the last few months from impossibly high expectations and fear of failure and disappointment suddenly rushed out of him in a single kiss. He was acting reckless, with no thought to consequence or decorum and that excited him. He wanted so desperately what he shouldn't want. He knew that he was in a fragile, dangerous situation, but for the first time in a long time, Ren just didn't care. He didn't know if it had been because of the rough housing or the cold outside, but Ren couldn't hold onto his self restraint. All of the apprehension, hesitation and regret he had been feeling in his heart was welling up and out of him. Horo seemed to feel the same way, though for his own reasons, and he soon returned Ren's feverish kiss with full force. Tongues sliding past each other, tasting, exploring, the soft beginnings of a moan escaped from Ren's throat, followed soon by a wavering intake of breath as he felt Horo's hand sliding up his shirt, his hands surprisingly cold against Ren's heated skin.

Somewhere in the back of Ren's mind, distantly behind, a voice was screaming out that he was doing something that he would regret. Considering his position, he shouldn't have allowed Horo into the car at all. If his family found out, if anyone found out…no, Ren wouldn't think about repercussions now, not with Horo close to him, sharing a kiss that would have never happened in the "proper" world where Ren was used to living. But "proper" Ren had temporarily checked out and so Ren practically tugged Horo's shirt up, wanting to touch more. Tugging Horo's head back suddenly by his hair, Ren bit down on his bottom lip, drawing a startled cry from Horo, who squirmed but made no move to pull away completely.

When Ren would think back on that moment, he would wonder just how much further he would have gone had the car not come to a stop when it did, the swaying of the vehicle forcibly bringing Ren back down to reality. Suddenly freezing up, Ren could feel his blood turning icy. He was sure that he'd stopped breathing temporarily. He was being kissed. He was kissing back and with gusto. With Horohoro. The same Horo who pulled away now, confused but face flushed. "W…what's wrong? Ren…" Horo murmured, voice almost a croon, still caught up in the moment.

While the heat was still dulling Horo's senses, the moment had all by passed for Ren. His stunned expression slowly contorted to his normally irritated look. "Get off of me, you big idiot." Fist clenching, he suddenly punched Horo hard across the face, before squirming under him to be able to kick Horo off of him, foot connecting directly to his gut, sending Horo into a coughing fit as he curled up a bit on the floor of the car. "Whatever you think just happened… forget about it," he said with a snarl, grabbing a hold of the coat that he had put aside hours ago. Stepping out into the cold, he nearly bumped into Kororo who was fluttering around, face bright red, almost sounding like she was giggling. Batting her eye lashes a bit at Ren before going to check up on Horo who was struggling out of the car. Ren grew pale as the realization of what Kororo probably saw hit him. Who did she think she was giggling at him? It had been a mistake! It didn't even happen. It was all in their heads.

Putting a hand on his chest, Ren closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to relax after that rather unexpected jolt of adrenaline, blushing as all he got from his attempt at relaxation was the memory of Horo's lips against his. He explained away the "incident" as purely a manifestation of the negative feelings he'd been harboring lately. Nothing more. Clearing his throat a bit, he straightened up his posture to try and regain some sense of normalcy. He had only managed a few steps towards the snow covered inn when Horo finally spoke.

"Hey, Ren… mind if I stay with you? At least for the night. I mean it is getting a little dark… plus the snow storms around here," he trailed off, voice still strained from the swift kick Ren had given him. Momentarily, Ren considered just letting both Horo and Kororo take on the wildness of the mountain. Let mother nature take care of his "witness" problem. No, that was stupid. Ren knew that nature came with many variables and for the most part made a terrible assassin, even though it did make up for what it lacked in effectiveness with creativity.

Turning around to look at Horo, he was about to tell him to just sleep in some hole in the group like a dog, when he caught sight of his blue haired companion, leaning against Kororo in her snowboard form for support, rubbing at his stomach. Ren could feel the sides of his lips twitching. It had been a terrible incident and one that Ren would make sure was never spoken of again, but in the heat of the moment, it had been amazing, like an oasis in the desert. But he wouldn't help Horo because he had been a good kisser. Ren just figured that if he couldn't dispose of Horo and Kororo, the next best thing would be to buy their silence.

"Fine…you can stay at the inn. I'll even let you sleep in a bedroom like a guest instead of in the kitchen like a stray dog. But in return, I want your complete silence on…what happened. Is that understood?"

Horo grinned as he nodded. "Sure, sure. Now, is the "what happened" you're talking about that cute look on your face when you're sleeping…or that cute look on your face when you're being kissed?" he asked with an playful grin on his face.

"On second thought, please stay outside and freeze to death," Ren said nonchalantly, no change coming over his expression. Turning on his heels he walked towards the inn. Horo laughed behind him as he ran after Ren.

"Oh, come on, man! I was just joking. Slow down would you!" Horo called out, running after Ren who began to run as well, "because I was being chased" if one were to ask him why.

Running through the halls of the old inn, darting between bewildered inn workers with Horo close at his heels, Ren had a terrible feeling that his retreat to the snowy mountain inn would prove to be more stressful than he had previously anticipated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Oh, gosh, thank you everyone for your encouragement! After certain people (:D you know who you are!) kept tossing me puppy dog eyes, I figured I might as well continue this story two more chapters to at least give it a more satisfactory "ending". This is a fun pairing to write, so I'll probably write more once the plot bunnies attack more. Anyway, no need to talk about the future when I've got a fic to share with you in the present! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Characters not mine. Just borrowed for a little harmless fun.

* * *

It took some time for the inn staff to convince their young master to allow Horohoro to stay for the night. They all wanted Ren to relax on his rare vacation, but, luckily for Horo, the idea of sending a young boy to his certain death in the cold vastness did not sit well with them either.

Ren had contemplated informing them than Horo was quite in his element in the cold, but his jaw clamped up tight before he managed to utter a single word. Just what did he think he was doing, explaining himself to the help? He was about to banish Horo from the area when he saw the hopeful looks on both the staff and Horo. He knew that if he had been his normal self, he would have no only sent Horo away in the freezing weather, but he would have laughed all the while. As it were, however, Ren couldn't bring himself to do it: he couldn't put Horo in danger and he couldn't disappoint the inn workers.

With a loud sigh, he had waved dismissively and allowed Horo to stay, though warning him with a low growl to just stay out of his way. Horo was shown to his room and Ren assumed that would be the last he would see of him for a while.

Later that evening, he realized how foolish such an assumption was, seeing as the inn only had a communal bath out by the hot springs. He had just started to relax in the hot water when Horo had walked outside, just a white towel hugging his slender hips. He slipped into the water, eyeing Ren nervously.

They sat there in tense silence for nearly ten minutes before Horo finally spoke up. Not that Ren was surprised. Horo never was one to enjoy the joys of blissful silence. "They, ah, the staff I mean, they told me to take a bath because I was kinda muddy from my trip. And…this is the…only bath," he tried to explain, looking at Ren hopefully.

"Fine," was Ren's curt reply, closing his eyes and sinking in the water a bit. He seemed calm, but inwardly, he was berating himself. What on earth was wrong with him? There must really be something wrong when someone like Ren begins to act complacent and accepting. He did not want to fight with the workers so he let them take Horo in. He did not want to fight with Horo, so he accepted his excuse and let it go. Ren was beginning to wonder if he had the will to fight anymore at all. If he couldn't muster up the fortitude for a simple verbal sparring match, he had no hope in a real fight for his life. He couldn't believe just how weak he had become.

Ren was only roused from his downward spiral when his shoulders were suddenly grabbed. Eyes snapping open, he was about to bark at Horo when the blue haired youth pushed him down into the water. He held Ren there for a second before quickly moving away. Standing up suddenly, coughing and sputtering, Ren looking around, rage growing on his face. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, eyes burrowing deeply into Horo, as if willing him to spontaneously combust.

At the questioning, Horo just nonchalantly shrugged. "Well, that's pretty simple isn't it? You were looking so, you know, sad and lonely. And you know how much I hate being ignored. I just wanted you to know you're not here alone, so stop moping. This isn't the Ren I know. Nope, the Ren I know is too much of an egotistical jerk to let anything get him down. So, come on, cheer up, you egotist!"

Ren was flabbergasted. He knew Horo was an idiot, but he never knew the young man had such a glaring death wish. He should have been more than happy to comply. He should have just leapt at Horo and beaten him up and thrown him naked from the inn. He should have at least called Horo a bastard for calling him egotistical. Instead, he just sat there, dumb founded for several moments before he began to chuckle. "I swear…you really are like a dog. You're completely lost unless someone is giving you attention at all times, aren't you?" Ren relaxed in the water again, this time, Horo sitting only about an arm's length away. Ren hated to admit it, but it really was nicer having someone with him. Horo might have been thick-headed, but he kept Ren from thinking himself into an endless loop. Horo was keeping him from making himself miserable. Ren was actually a little glad that he didn't send Horo to his death. Not that he would ever actually admit that, of course.

As they talked, mostly about nothing at all, Ren lost track of time. Horo was giving him a large grin as he recounted his many adventures in the mountains, most no doubt played up for Ren's amusement. Horo's boastings reminded him of all the stories he used to read, the ones about the great heroes: strong warriors who fought for and sometimes against the gods themselves. Ren's tense muscles began to relax as he listened to his companion go on about how he saved some children from freezing to death only a few days ago. Or something like that. Ren was feeling so calmed that he was only partly listening, gaze beginning to wander towards the distance, seeing snow beginning to fall on the mountains.

Only when he sensed someone close did Ren turn his head back to look at Horo, the blue haired teenager leaning his head towards Ren's. Instinctively, Ren brought his wet hands up, roughly grabbing a hold of Horo's face and pushing him away. "Who said you can get close to me like that?" he spat out, suddenly defensive.

Horo, dripping wet from having been knocked back into the water so roughly, looked at Ren in surprise. Suddenly he burst out laughing. "I take it you didn't hear me? I kept saying 'Ren? Ren? Earth to Ren? Are you dead? Hello?' You didn't say anything and your eyes were starting to glaze over. I was worried that you, I don't know, passed out with your eyes open. I was leaning in to make sure you were still alive when you snapped out of it and attacked me."

"Well you shouldn't have gotten so close to me in any case."

"You know, you almost looked like a startled cat," Horo snickered. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you got all defensive thinking I was going to kiss you again."

Feeling his cheeks begins to redden, Ren looked away. It was just from the heat of the water, he told himself. He was only looking away so that Horo wouldn't get the wrong idea. His cheeks were red from the heat of the water, nothing else.

Horo was about to tease Ren once more when Ren spoke up first. "As if I would want to be kissed by someone as filthy as you. What happened in the car, it was a one time thing. A critical lapse of judgment and it won't happen again, believe me," he suddenly snarled, regaining his composure. Before Horo could say anything in his own defense, Ren was up and out of the water.

Horo just sighed when he was left alone. He sank into the water a bit. He had planned to stay in the water a bit longer until he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to see what it was, there was nothing. A shiver ran down Horo's spine and he quickly got out of the bath, having changed his mind about staying in the water by himself.

That night, Ren had supper in his own room, not wanting to see Horo for a while. At least not until he figured out some things. He had told Horo, and himself, that what had happened in the car ride up to the mountain inn had been nothing, but that hardly explained why his cheeks warmed up whenever he thought about it. He tried to put thoughts of it out of his mind as he finished his meal and went to bed. He was willing his mind to think of anything other than the blue-haired youth down he hall, who by then was probably snoring away, lost in sleep. Eventually, Ren began to drift off to sleep as well, curling up under the thick blanket.

He was asleep for several hours when the sound of creaking woke him up with a start. He was staring at the ceiling, but still lying on his back. It was then that the realization hit him that he couldn't move. He couldn't move a muscle and the footsteps were getting closer. Like many other people, he had experienced sleep paralysis before, but it had never lasted so long. He tried to stay calm, but his heart started to race. It would have been easier for him to keep a rational mind if those damn footsteps weren't getting so close so quickly!

Ren's breath hitched slightly when he felt cold finger tips running along his jaw line. His mind was racing with worst case scenarios, knowing full well the vulnerable situation he was in. He was, after all, the son of an influential and feared family. It would not be unthinkable that he had been poisoned in an assassination plot and now his assailant had snuck into his room to finish the job. The paralyzed boy was still thinking of assassins until he caught a brief glimpse of blue hair come into his line of sight just before he felt a pair of surprisingly warm lips pressing against his own. Ren only half-heartedly thought that he should probably push Horo away. Only half-heartedly.

As the kiss continued, Horo trailing a warm tongue along his bottom lip, Ren could feel more and more of his body returning under his control. When he could finally move his hand, he pressed the palm against Horo's chest. One moment he was pushing him away, the next he grasped at his shirt and pulled him closer. Horo smirked against the kiss as he pulled away just far enough to mutter breathily against Ren's wet lips. "Is this a 'critical lapse of judgment', too?" he asked, parroting Ren's own words.

"Shut up," Ren just grunted, not missing a beat as he leaned up to crush their lips together once more. This time, he was not content with allowing Horo have control. Deepening the kiss unceremoniously, he slipped his tongue against Horo's, his hazy mind registering the taste of wild mountain berries. He moaned tremblingly against the kiss as he felt cool fingers running down and under his own shirt. By then, the last of the sleep paralysis had already lifted away, but all thoughts of struggle had already disappeared from Ren's hazy mind. It felt so good to kiss and touch Horo, to be kissed and touched in return, that Ren couldn't remember just why he had protested so much against it before. If he had just let himself do what he had wanted earlier, he could have just closed the distance between himself and Horo in the hot springs.

All of his thoughts were suddenly derailed when he felt finger tips moving past his waist band, running down the heated skin of his hips. Pulling away from the kiss as his back arched into the touch, Ren couldn't stifle a low moan. Horo chuckled as he licked against the shell of Ren's ear, nipping against the lobe. He muttered something against Ren's ear, but Ren was too preoccupied keeping quiet to really listen. He had moved his hands up to cover his mouth, silencing any moans that escaped. Horo was only massaging his bare hips, but the touch was so intimate that Ren wasn't sure he could keep quiet. He had a feeling being walked in on would probably ruin the heat of the moment.

Just as Horo's hands began to travel down Ren's thighs, Ren sat up suddenly with a gasp of Horo's name. Sitting in his room, panting and gasping for breath, he realized now that he was alone. His body was slick with sweat and his bedding and clothes a mess from all of his tossing and turning. Even though it had only been a dream, albeit an incredibly vivid dream, Ren thought he could still feel where Horo had kissed him, touched him, whispered against him. The memory made him shiver for a moment before he suddenly felt defensive. The stupid dream was all Horo's fault. He had gotten Ren so flustered with his idiotic comments before he slept that it had made its way into his subconscious and corrupted Ren's normally peaceful dreams of ruling the world. Obviously Horohoro was to blame. Practically jumping to his feet, he stormed out of the room.

As he passed the inn keeper as she walked out of her room, he didn't even say good morning, his mind too set on getting revenge. Throwing the sliding door to Horo's room open, he looked down at blue-haired boy with a dark grin. Horo was sprawled out on the ground, partially off his futon, the blanket only covering one leg. He was snoring just as Ren has assumed he would be, drooling out of the corner of his mouth. "Oh Horo," Ren said, almost sweetly as he loomed over Horo's sleeping form.

With a sleepy murmur, Horo squeezed his eyes tightly against the sun's light before opening them. He was obviously surprised to not only see Ren so bright and early in the morning after the previous night, but was even more surprised to actually see him smiling. In retrospect, the fact that he was smiling like that should have been warning. Horo smiled in return but didn't have the chance to utter the 'good morning' that was on the tip of his tongue when Ren raised a foot and brought it slamming down between Horo's legs. All of the air escaped Horo's lungs as his eyes welled with tears, unable to help but gargle as he curled up in fetal position.

Ren had a smug expression on his face as Horo curled up, clutching between his legs as he tried to remember how to breath. "That's what you deserve for being a pervert," he said with a huff and walked out of the door, leaving a confused Horo to get up to his feet with must effort, and ridiculously limp after him. "W… ait! " he wheezed out as he tried to keep up to Ren, "At…least tell me what I did!"

As Ren stormed through the halls, blushing from embarrassment, with Horo limping behind him. The inn staff watched on in confusion, though there was a light giggle floating through the halls, fading as quickly as it came.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: This is really the last chapter of this particular story! It was a lot of fun to write, but I don't really have much else to say with this current plot. :3 I will try to write more Horo Ren in the future (whether or not people actually want me to xD). Anyway, please read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Obviously, Ren and Horo are not mine.

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Even though Ren had initially only wanted to allow Horo to stay for one night, a series of storms had rolled in and the staff insisted that Horo be allowed to remain. By then, Ren wasn't sure he even wanted Horo to leave. The dream he had had of Horo that first night had left him irritable in the morning, enough to attack Horo, but by breakfast, Ren's attitude towards the other had warmed, much to Horo's surprise. He still sat out of Ren's reach for a while, not sure if he could trust Ren since the rude wake up call that morning.

Ren was sure that if he didn't allow anything Horo said or did get to him, he would be able to get to sleep properly without any embarrassingly inappropriate dreams. Unfortunately, by the fourth day of his supposed vacation, he realized how stupid his plan was. The more he tried to ignore Horo's antics during his waking hours, the more intense his dreams at night became. The last dream he had was so intense that he had been awoken by the inn keeper knocking on his door worriedly, thinking he had a fever because he was moaning and panting so much. He woke up mortified as he tried to explain to her that he'd just gotten himself wrapped up in the blankets . He was even more embarrassed when he realized that he was sure he could still feel his skin tingling where Horo had kissed him. It was still early morning, but Ren needed a bath.

Walking down the halls softly, he headed out towards the hot springs. He was about to step outside when he hear voices coming from the springs, one of them distinctly Horo's.

"No, no, don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault. You tried your best, so I'm definitely going to try my best too, alright? Tomorrow. We'll do it tomorrow," Horo said to someone who's voice Ren could not make out fully. When curiosity finally got the better of him, Ren stepped outside, a little shocked to see that other than Horo, there was no one in the water. Even Kororo was absent, probably still sleeping in his room. When Horo saw Ren, he didn't look particularly surprised. "Hey there! Nice morning for a dip, huh? Come on in while the water is still warm!"

Ren rolled his eyes but got into the water anyway. He stayed some distance away from Horo however, sinking quietly into the water. He didn't exactly trust himself around Horo, not with the memory of his most recent dream still lingering in his mind. Ren became painfully aware of the fact that Horo's eyes were on him, watching him with a smile on his lips. That just made Ren feel embarrassed.

He was used to people watching him, sure, but that was always in a combat situation. Watching an opponent for a drop in defenses he understood. Watching someone so kindly, with such a gentle expression, he didn't understand in the least. He supposed he could have been flattered or angry, but instead, he was just confused. "…what is it?" he asked finally, half-hearted irritation his voice, Horo's earlier conversation with thin air seemingly forgotten.

"I was just thinking that you look really pretty when you just wake up," Horo said simply with a shrug. Ren looked at him with wide-eyes. He knew that Horo was blunt most of the time, but was the situation they were in so natural for him that Horo was not in the least bit troubled? For the last few days, Ren had been assuming Horo was teasing and flirting with him in an effort to make Ren uncomfortable. He was beginning to realize that Horo was being honest. To him, there wasn't anything weird with what he was doing.

"You… drive me crazy sometimes," Ren just muttered, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Horo laughed at that as he splashed Ren, grinning triumphantly.

"Took you long enough to smile at me! And for what it's worth, you drive me crazy too."

The rest of the day passed relatively well. Ren was in better spirits than he had been in days and when night fall came, Ren was no longer surprised as he actually looked forward to his dreams. If flirting was no big deal, then simple dreams were just as harmless. It wasn't as if he would ever act out on any of his dreams.

When he heard familiar footsteps approaching him in his dream, he sat up, looking over at the person who approached him. Suddenly his expression fell and a deep frown set in. "Who the hell are you?" he snapped.

Before him, a young girl, only a little older than him, suddenly broke down into tears as she fell to her knees. "Please, you have to help me! This is all my fault!"

In the back of his mind, Ren couldn't help but find the whole situation comical. Whenever he tried to avoid intimate dreams with Horo, they would become more and more vivid. The one time he actually looks forward to it, and suddenly some girl he had never seen before in his life bursts into his room and begs for him to help her. It was so anticlimactic that Ren was a little surprised that he didn't see it coming.

"Listen, stop crying," he muttered with a sigh, rubbing at his forehead. "What is it you need help with? This is a dream, right? So, let me guess, your family is being held hostage by half-spider half-bear creatures? You need me to go get some mystical items from some old crone who lives in an impregnable mountain fortress?" he asked, standing up and stretching. "I haven't had damsel-in-distress dreams since I was five, so I'm sorry if I'm a little rusty."

"You do not understand, master Ren! This is not just a dream! I need your help!" The girl pleaded. "This is about Horohoro! He promised me that he would help get me back to my mother, but he lost his footing and fell! I fear he is dead! Please, you have to help me, master Ren! You are the only other person here I know that would be able to see me…" she trailed off.

Slowly, Ren's eyes widen in horror. "What… do you mean by that? " he demanded.

The woman just shook her head. "Please, just go save him! As soon as we get him back, I swear to you, all will be explained," she swore, suddenly grabbing a hold of Ren's arms, sending a wave of images into his mind. Ren was now able to see just where Horo had lost his footing and fell. With that, Ren woke up with a start.

Looking out the window, he saw signs of an approaching snow storm. The whole inn seemed strangely quiet and yet, Ren hoped that the whole thing had been a dream. He attempted only once to go back to sleep but could not seem to get images of the mountain path out of his mind.

Leaving the warmth of his blankets behind, he walked down the hall to the room that Horo was using. He would peek in and once he was sure that Horo was alright, he would go back to sleep.

Even before he opened the door, he could tell that something was amiss. Normally, he could hear the sound of Horo's snoring right through door, but in that moment, there was only an eerie silence. Throwing the door open, he looked around. Horo's bedding was all over the place, but there was no Horo. Ren could feel his heart sink as the girl's words rang through his ears. I fear he is dead…I fear he is dead…

Not another moment passed as Ren ran through the inn, rousing all of the workers. The old woman who ran the inn went to his side and took a hold of his shoulders, trying to get him to calm down and tell her just what had happened. When he told her that Horo had gone off on a fool's errand to find some girl lost in the mountains, he half expected the woman to try and tell him that he had seen a dream. Instead, the woman went pale and told everyone to prepare a search party. Ren did not question her willingness to believe him as he rushed to get dressed.

They were looking for Horo for over an hour. The longer they searched without turning up anything, the more most of the search party began to despair. They began to fear that if they ever found Horo, it would only be Horo's body they found. The only ones who remained invigorated to continue the search was Ren and the old inn keeper. Both the young man and the old woman were spurned on by some invisible force to keep looking.

It had been Ren that discovered the place where Horo had slipped and fallen through, having almost slipped in himself. It looked to be the remnants of a tunnel that had probably collapsed when Horo had stepped on it. Calling out for a flashlight, the storm beginning to pick up around them, he peered down into the tunnel. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Horo's still form down in the tunnel. "Horo! Horo!" Ren screamed out for the blue-haired youth. The people around him were quiet. The drop had been quite high and who knows how long Horo had been in the freezing cold, his body already half buried in snow. They had already lost hope that they had reached him in time. "Open your eyes, damn it! If you don't, I'll kill you! Wake up, you weakling!" Ren continued to scream, trying to jump into the tunnel himself, only the inn keeper him firmly above.

" not… weak…ling…" Horo's voice was weak and trembling from pain and cold, but it was still his voice and those two words were enough to cause cheers from his rescuers. Ren, being the smallest of the group, volunteered to be the one to go down and get Horo. Wrapping a rope around his waist, he made his way down below.

Ren couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief as he checked Horo over and saw that his wounds were not that bad. A few bruised ribs and cuts and scrapes mostly. The worst looked to be his wrists, having tried to catch himself when he fell. One looked sprained, but the other one was probably broken. Wrapping his arms around Horo, Ren held him as firmly as he could without causing too much pain before beginning the slow, but steady climb back up. Ren was almost sure that he heard Horo mutter a thank you against his ear. He made a mental note to punch Horo later. Hard.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw a tuft of familiar blue hair, helping him into a make shift sled. Ren was being helped up when some of the inn workers screamed in horror, backing away from Horo's body. It was only now that Horo was safe that anyone had bothered to check to see just what was in the bundle he was clutching so protectively. The unlucky cook had been the one to pull the tattered grey fabric aside and see as a human skull peering through at him. Walking towards Horo, Ren saw that the grey fabric was the old remains of what must have at one time been quite a beautiful blue yukata. The girl in his dream had also been wearing such a pattern, he recalled.

Before Ren could take another step towards him, the old inn keeper walked past him and right to Horo, picking up the bundle of bones, hugging them close. With that, she ordered everyone to gather Horo and return to the inn. She was holding old bones and there were tears streaming down her cheeks, but she had the biggest smile on her face.

As he sat by Horo's side, one of the inn staff told him the story. Almost fifty years ago, the mistress of the inn had given birth to a young girl named Moriko. After her husband passed away, she had taken over the inn and Moriko helped her. One day, when Moriko was still only a child, she had gone up into the mountain forests to collect flowers and had never returned. Long after everyone had given up hope that Moriko would ever return alive, the inn keeper remained. Every winter, she would stay in the inn and pray to the gods of the mountain to return her daughter's body to her. Every summer and spring, she would walk through the mountain every single day from sunrise until sun set, looking for her daughter. It was amazing that Horo could stumble upon the bones in a snow storm, they were all saying. To them it was luck, but Ren knew with certainty that it was not just luck. Moriko had been fighting as much as her mother had in order for them both to be reunited.

When he thought about how stupid Horo had been for going out in the middle of the night, he was surprised as he felt tears fall down his cheeks. It was only now that the ordeal was over did Ren realize just how close he had come to loosing Horo. Looking down at his lap, he gave a soft sob as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think of something, anything else. He could hardly believe he was crying even though Horo had turned up safe and sound.

When a warm hand touched Ren's cheek, his eyes snapped open with a gasp, trying to hide the fact he'd been crying. Horo just looked up at him with a grin, even when he was bandaged, bruises showing through. "Hey…what is this? Are you crying for me? Man, I really did die down there, huh?"

"S-shut up," Ren stuttered despite himself, reaching out to hold Horo's hand weakly, careful to not hurt him. " What were you thinking… I knew you were an idiot, but did you have to try and kill yourself while I'm on vacation? You're an idiot and inconsiderate!"

Horo just chuckled. "Sorry about that. I just… wanted to keep my word to Moriko," he murmured before he looked up and saw the look on Ren's face. "I guess I should explain," he muttered as he relaxed back against the pillow, closing his eyes as he recounted the tale. He had caught sight of Moriko's ghost the first night they had been at the inn. When she realized that he could see her, she had come to him that night, crying, and begged him to help her. In a few days, she had told him, there would be enough time between storms up on the mountain for him to go and find the remains of her body and bring them back to her mother. He happily agreed to do what he could to help her find peace. She had been so shocked by his selflessness that she had offered to help him win Ren over. She had acted as facilitator to connect their two dreams together. When Ren was relaxed, Horo could feel a connection between them. But when Ren would realize what he was doing, he would get defensive and tense up. Horo had come to accept that he could never have Ren, but he had thought that if he could win Ren over in his dreams, then maybe Ren would want to open more up to him when he was awake. "Thinking about it now… I realize how stupid and selfish it was. Ren…I really am sorry. I would completely understand it if you don't ever want to have anything to do with me."

Ren sat there for a few moments in silence, trying to let everything that Horo just confessed to him sink it. He knew he should have been angry that Horo would take advantage of him in his dreams like that, but such anger felt disingenuous. Ren wasn't angry, not really. The dreams had caused him grief at first, but he was starting to doubt if he had ever really hated them. Horo was looked up at him now, half expecting to be punched in the face. He winced when Ren moved forward only to gasp in surprise when he felt Ren's lips against his. He still had a look of surprise when Ren pulled away, turning his head to the side as he cleared his throat, trying to will away the red from his cheeks.

"If you want to kiss me, the least you can do is do it when I'm awake,' he said authoritatively before standing up. "I'm going to go eat lunch. Get some rest."

Only when Ren left did Horo snap out of his reverie and grin, chuckling. Ren's words reverberating in his head. He had said "if you want to kiss me."

As soon as he was all healed up, he had no doubt that Ren would regret giving him such an open invitation.

**-The End**


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